Billy Elliot - Setting

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Transcript of Billy Elliot - Setting

Setting Billy Elliot Time TimePlaceSocial/Political Context Set during the mining strike of 1984-85 Place The film is set in a small mining village in County Durham, England.

The community is under extreme threat, as the coal mine may be shut down.

The film shows the despair and courage of this community, who are at 'war' with their own government. The strikers protest and the police attack. Political/Social Context In the early 1980's, Margaret Thatcher, who was the Prime Minister of England at the time, introduced new economic reforms that directly threatened the power of trade unions. The government's agenda was to crush the union and reduce the number of coal mines in England.

At least 165,000 miners went on strike, and because of this they had no regular source of income. Discussion How did the mining strike affect Billy and his family? Discussion What do we understand about the community that Billy belongs to? Discussion How does Billy's community define masculinity? The year of the film is never mentioned, however this can be established by:MusicClothesPolitical events